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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. clip — a video
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. file — a document
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fine — all right
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fine — high quality
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. file — a tool
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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