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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. track — a path
  4. clip — to cut
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — in football
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. clip — a video
  19. scale — in music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wound — an injury

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