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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. shower — to wash
  3. file — a tool
  4. charge — in control
  5. shower — rain
  6. clip — a video
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — a container
  12. mate — a partner
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mate — to breed
  15. file — a line of people
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. file — a document
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. charge — a price
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rush — hurry

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