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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a tool
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. file — a document
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — to cut
  15. court — of law
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cue — for pool
  18. court — of a king
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. court — for sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — for paper

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