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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 120 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — a video
  7. bank — for money
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bank — for money
  13. clip — for paper
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. squash — to crush
  23. clip — to cut
  24. kick — in football

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