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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. snap — to click
  5. suit — in cards
  6. clip — a video
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. suit — clothes
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fall — the season
  19. press — to push
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — to keep track
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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