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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — completely
  3. file — a document
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rock — a stone
  8. track — to keep track
  9. file — a tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. track — a song
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mate — a friend
  21. track — a path
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wake — a trail

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