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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. file — a document
  6. bound — tied together
  7. net — for catching
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ball — a dance
  11. roll — a cake
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. roll — a list
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bound — certain
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — a video
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pound — a weight
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — for dogs

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