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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. file — a line of people
  3. clip — to cut
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. suit — to fit
  8. file — a document
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — a video
  12. plane — a tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wake — a trail
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. suit — clothes
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stock — shares
  24. file — a tool

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