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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. track — a song
  4. cue — a hint
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cue — for pool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. clip — a video
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. field — farmland
  11. track — a path
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. firm — decided
  15. clip — to cut
  16. firm — steady
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — for sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. cue — a signal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — a subject
  24. clip — for paper

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