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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — a video
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. scale — size or range
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. object — an aim
  23. file — a document
  24. object — to protest

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