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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. object — a thing
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. file — a document
  9. last — to go on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bear — the animal
  14. object — an aim
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. object — to protest
  18. last — final
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spell — letters
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. last — finally

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