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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. suit — clothes
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rock — music
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a document
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. suit — to fit
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pitcher — a jug

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