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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — certain
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. clip — to cut
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitch — completely
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. file — a document
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. clip — a video

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