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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pound — a weight
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stock — shares
  5. file — a tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — a video
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — all right
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stock — goods
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stock — a soup base

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