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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cue — for pool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cue — a hint
  5. track — to keep track
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. track — a path
  8. land — a country
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. land — to come down
  11. cue — a signal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wake — a trail
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. track — a song
  20. clip — for paper
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. race — humankind
  23. land — ground
  24. wake — before a funeral

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