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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. file — a document
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — finally
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — a break
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — in control
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — final
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. clip — to cut
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — ground
  24. kid — to tease

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