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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — to confront
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. firm — a company
  12. cap — of ice
  13. firm — decided
  14. clip — for paper
  15. face — part of the head
  16. track — a path
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. face — to point toward
  21. track — a song
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cap — a lid
  24. firm — steady

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