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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. file — a line of people
  3. field — for sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stand — to bear
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — to cut
  11. field — a subject
  12. staff — employees
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. field — farmland
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — a document

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