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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. suit — to fit
  3. spell — magic
  4. clip — for paper
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — clothes
  7. net — in sport
  8. cell — in biology
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lean — thin
  12. file — a tool
  13. clip — a video
  14. net — after costs
  15. spell — letters
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spell — a short time
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — for catching
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lean — to bend
  24. file — a document

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