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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — a video
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. file — a document
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. file — a tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wind — moving air
  12. vault — a safe
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. land — a country
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. saw — the tool
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — to turn a key

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