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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — a video
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wake — a trail
  15. firm — steady
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wind — moving air
  18. firm — a company
  19. cold — not warm
  20. firm — decided
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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