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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. file — a tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a document
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — a container
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. snap — to click
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. ball — a great time
  21. clip — to cut
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. clip — a video
  24. bass — low music

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