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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. clip — for paper
  5. staff — a stick
  6. firm — a company
  7. pit — in a race
  8. file — a document
  9. club — a group
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — a hole
  13. staff — employees
  14. club — for golf
  15. pass — a permit
  16. firm — decided
  17. clip — to cut
  18. file — a line of people
  19. clip — a video
  20. file — a tool
  21. firm — steady
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wind — to turn a key

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