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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — to cut
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — a video
  14. club — for golf
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. file — a document
  22. club — a group
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hide — to keep secret

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