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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. clip — to cut
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tube — the underground
  8. clip — a video
  9. track — a song
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. game — a match
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a path
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. game — wild animals

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