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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ground — the earth
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — a permit
  12. press — to push
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. press — a publisher
  21. track — a path
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  24. cold — the Cold War

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