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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — the season
  7. clip — a video
  8. race — humankind
  9. file — a line of people
  10. suit — clothes
  11. file — a document
  12. race — the arms race
  13. clip — to cut
  14. season — of the year
  15. clip — for paper
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. suit — to fit
  20. season — in sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. suit — in cards
  24. spring — of water

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