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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cap — a hat
  3. club — a group
  4. cap — of ice
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. deal — to handle
  16. clip — to cut
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. perch — the fish
  20. clip — for paper
  21. file — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a document
  24. deal — an agreement

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