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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. hand — in cards
  10. clip — a video
  11. mug — a cup
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mug — a face
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — to rob
  22. clip — to cut
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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