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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 124 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. toast — bread
  3. track — to keep track
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. band — a music group
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bore — to tire
  10. clip — to cut
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — a path
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. band — a ring
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rock — music
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. clip — a video
  21. rock — a stone
  22. clip — for paper
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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