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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mug — a face
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — to rob
  5. clip — a video
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. staff — employees
  8. chip — to eat
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. staff — a stick
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. mug — a cup
  21. file — a line of people
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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