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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: leaves · bowl · track · snap · game · cabinet · mate · clip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. track — to keep track
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. track — a song
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mate — a partner
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. snap — to click
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. track — a path
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — ministers

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