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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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wake — a trail
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pop — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — farmland
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pop — soda
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pop — to visit
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. field — a subject
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — for sport
  23. key — in music
  24. clip — to cut

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