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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. present — the time now
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. clip — for paper
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. track — to keep track
  10. clip — a video
  11. track — a path
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. present — there
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — a song
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — to cut

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