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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pop — music
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. pop — to visit
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bulb — for light
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. present — there
  11. rule — a law
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pop — soda
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — a video
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rule — government
  23. file — a document
  24. racket — a loud noise

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