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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a document
  4. clip — a video
  5. rule — a law
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bore — to drill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. court — of law
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. squash — to crush
  15. court — of a king
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — for sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — the vegetable

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