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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pass — a permit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. file — a document
  7. clip — for paper
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rock — music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — in music
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — a division
  22. club — for dancing
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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