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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cue — a hint
  3. file — a tool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. row — a line
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. file — a line of people
  11. clip — to cut
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. clip — a video
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cue — a signal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a document
  19. row — to paddle
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. can — a tin
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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