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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — a path
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — a trail
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — a song
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. clip — a video
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — for paper
  20. firm — a company
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — decided
  24. deal — to handle

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