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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. track — a song
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mate — to breed
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mate — a partner
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. present — the time now
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. dip — to sink
  18. track — a path
  19. present — a gift
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — there

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