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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: present · clip · saw · race · wake · bass · object · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. race — a contest
  3. present — a gift
  4. object — an aim
  5. bass — low music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. present — the time now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bass — the fish
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. present — there
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — a thing
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. object — to protest
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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