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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · march · track · jam · file · roll · lie · clip

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. march — music
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. track — a path
  8. file — a tool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. track — to keep track
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. file — a document
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — a video
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. track — a song
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lie — to recline
  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