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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. file — a line of people
  3. current — of water
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — a friend
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mate — a partner
  11. toast — bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. clip — to cut
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. current — electric
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pound — a weight
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mate — to breed
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. nail — on a finger
  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