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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a document
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a line of people
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. lean — thin
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. clip — a video
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. clip — to cut
  14. capital — a city
  15. file — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — to recline
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lean — to bend

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