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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. lean — to bend
  6. track — a path
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fine — all right
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. clip — to cut
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chair — a leader
  18. branch — a division
  19. clip — for paper
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — thin
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. clip — a video

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