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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 124 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fine — high quality
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fine — all right
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. bark — to shout
  11. clip — for paper
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — a video
  15. file — a line of people
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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