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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mate — to breed
  6. present — the time now
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. file — a tool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pound — a weight
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rule — government
  19. row — a line
  20. file — a document
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rule — a law

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