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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. field — farmland
  3. club — a group
  4. pit — a hole
  5. field — for sport
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. field — a subject
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pound — a weight
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. file — a document
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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