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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. file — a tool
  6. deal — to handle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hand — help
  24. file — a document

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