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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
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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: clip · saw · leaves · cap · game · track · date · toast

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. game — wild animals
  3. toast — bread
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cap — a lid
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cap — of ice
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. track — a path
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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