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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — in sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. clip — for paper
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. deal — to handle
  10. season — of the year
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stem — to come from
  20. firm — steady
  21. present — there
  22. track — a path
  23. clip — a video
  24. present — a gift

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