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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bound — obliged
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. file — a document
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. staff — a stick
  15. clip — a video
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. clip — to cut
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pass — a permit
  24. file — a tool

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