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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. clip — a video
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. roll — a list
  7. can — to be able to
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — for paper
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. file — a document
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — in sport
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — to cut

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