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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: spell · hide · clip · press · wake · mark · track · pit

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — to keep track
  4. clip — a video
  5. press — to push
  6. track — a song
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mark — a trace
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pit — a hole
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — magic
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. track — a path
  18. spell — letters
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spell — a short time

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