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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. file — a document
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — all right
  5. clip — to cut
  6. season — in sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — hasty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — of the year
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — a video
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. file — a tool
  24. rest — a break

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