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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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. face — to point toward
  3. track — a song
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fork — in a road
  9. clip — a video
  10. land — to come down
  11. track — a path
  12. land — a country
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — to confront
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — ground
  22. clip — to cut
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — to keep track

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