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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. clip — a video
  4. rush — hurry
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bat — the animal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — a trace
  14. file — a tool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. clip — for paper
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. chip — for betting
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. face — to confront
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mark — a grade

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