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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. file — a line of people
  4. net — in sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wound — an injury
  14. file — a document
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — boats
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. net — after costs
  20. row — a line
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a tool
  24. mark — a trace

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