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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: wave · game · fine · track · key · spell · clip · mine

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — a video
  6. fine — all right
  7. game — a match
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. key — in music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. key — for a lock
  13. clip — to cut
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. track — a song
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spell — magic
  24. mine — belonging to me

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