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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — finally
  3. pit — a hole
  4. last — final
  5. clip — to cut
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mug — a face
  9. pit — in a race
  10. craft — a skill
  11. last — to go on
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. track — a path
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — a tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — boats
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. track — a song
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mug — a cup
  24. clip — a video

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