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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: fine · clip · track · rock · charge · last · kid · dip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fine — high quality
  7. track — a song
  8. fine — all right
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. last — to go on
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. charge — in control
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. charge — a price
  19. last — finally
  20. kid — child
  21. charge — electricity
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. last — final
  24. dip — to sink

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