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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ball — a great time
  4. clip — to cut
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. perch — the fish
  9. track — a path
  10. net — for catching
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kid — child
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — a video
  23. suit — in cards
  24. ball — a round shape

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