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

Word bank: stand · suit · perch · kid · track · clip · race · fall

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — the fish
  6. race — humankind
  7. track — to keep track
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. suit — in cards
  10. race — a contest
  11. fall — to drop
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. kid — child
  16. suit — to fit
  17. clip — a video
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kid — to tease
  20. track — a path
  21. suit — clothes
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fall — the season

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