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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. clip — a video
  11. file — a tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. row — a line
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fine — all right
  23. stem — to come from
  24. file — a line of people

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