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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chip — for betting
  10. file — a tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — a trail
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bass — low music
  24. nail — on a finger

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