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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. object — an aim
  5. file — a line of people
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. object — to protest
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. object — a thing
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cell — a phone
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. clip — to cut
  24. file — a document

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