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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. field — for sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — shares
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. file — a document
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — for paper
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. charge — in control
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. clip — a video
  20. file — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a line of people
  23. charge — electricity
  24. ruler — for measuring

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