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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. clip — a video
  5. charge — in control
  6. pound — a weight
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. clip — to cut
  10. prune — to trim
  11. clip — for paper
  12. file — a document
  13. face — part of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. scale — size or range

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