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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 124 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pop — soda
  4. snap — to click
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pop — to visit
  7. clip — a video
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. date — the fruit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pop — music
  23. suit — clothes
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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