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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. game — a match
  6. file — a document
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chip — to eat
  11. clip — a video
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cell — a phone
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — in biology
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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