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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. race — a contest
  4. scale — size or range
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. drill — army training
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. scale — in music
  10. clip — a video
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. clip — to cut
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — for paper
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. race — humankind
  21. track — a song
  22. race — the arms race
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. track — a path

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