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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 124 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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. object — to protest
  4. file — a line of people
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. file — a document
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. clip — a video
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. object — an aim
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — a thing
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. file — a tool
  23. rule — a law
  24. wave — of the sea

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