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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. press — newspapers
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — in sport
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. press — a publisher
  13. root — of a plant
  14. press — to push
  15. stock — goods
  16. file — a document
  17. root — the cause
  18. row — to paddle
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stock — shares
  21. clip — for paper
  22. track — to keep track
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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