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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — a video
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. file — a tool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rest — a break
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a line of people
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pass — a permit
  21. file — a document
  22. staff — employees
  23. mark — a trace
  24. staff — a stick

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