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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stock — shares
  4. file — a tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. file — a document
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — a thing
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. vault — a safe
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stock — goods
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. object — to protest
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. clip — a video
  24. object — an aim

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