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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — a video
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. club — a group
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rest — a break
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. clip — to cut
  18. club — for golf
  19. mug — a face
  20. land — ground
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a document
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a line of people

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