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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stock — shares
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. file — a tool
  10. stock — goods
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a line of people
  16. face — to confront
  17. object — an aim
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. object — a thing
  21. face — to point toward
  22. clip — a video
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — a young animal

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