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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. clip — for paper
  8. face — part of the head
  9. file — a tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. file — a document
  12. stand — to bear
  13. face — to point toward
  14. clip — to cut
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — a cup
  17. clip — a video
  18. mug — to rob
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mug — a face

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