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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. current — of water
  4. degree — temperature
  5. file — a document
  6. degree — an amount
  7. file — a line of people
  8. degree — from a university
  9. clip — for paper
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. clip — a video
  13. current — happening now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pass — a permit
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. current — electric
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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