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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bank — for money
  4. chip — for betting
  5. file — a document
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bat — the animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. present — a gift
  13. clip — for paper
  14. present — the time now
  15. bank — for money
  16. cue — for pool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. present — there
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cue — a signal
  23. ball — a great time
  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