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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · last · clip · pitcher · pound · plane · mark · pit

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — finally
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pit — in a race
  11. clip — for paper
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. last — final
  17. track — a path
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. track — a song
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. clip — to cut
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mark — to pay attention

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