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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — final
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — finally
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. clip — a video
  10. bark — to shout
  11. file — a document
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — to go on
  17. fall — the season
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. file — a tool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. fall — to drop
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. face — part of the head

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