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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. file — a line of people
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. season — in sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a document
  18. clip — for paper
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cell — a phone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. mouse — the animal

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