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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. file — a document
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. clip — a video
  6. wake — a trail
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mark — a trace
  10. scale — in music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. file — a line of people
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — the most important part
  15. scale — size or range
  16. key — in music
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bore — to drill

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