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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. clip — a video
  3. last — final
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a line of people
  7. suit — in cards
  8. file — a document
  9. last — finally
  10. fine — all right
  11. file — a tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. suit — clothes
  22. chair — a leader
  23. suit — to fit
  24. dip — a sauce

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