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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — a video
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stock — shares
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stock — goods
  16. foot — a measure
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. file — a document
  24. ruler — a monarch

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