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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. date — the fruit
  3. file — a tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. clip — to cut
  8. firm — a company
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mug — a cup
  11. can — to be able to
  12. file — a document
  13. pound — a weight
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mug — a face
  19. firm — steady
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. firm — decided
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. clip — a video

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