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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. tube — the underground
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mug — a cup
  7. net — after costs
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cue — a signal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cue — for pool
  13. file — a document
  14. clip — a video
  15. mug — to rob
  16. net — in sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cue — a hint
  21. tube — a container
  22. clip — to cut
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. net — for catching

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