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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. last — final
  3. track — a song
  4. net — in sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. track — to keep track
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — a path
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kick — in football
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. net — for catching
  22. can — to be able to
  23. last — to go on
  24. clip — a video

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