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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — low music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. track — a song
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bore — to drill
  9. track — to keep track
  10. root — of a word
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — the cause
  15. track — a path
  16. clip — a video
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. root — of a plant
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com