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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — goods
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. clip — a video
  8. kid — child
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. file — a document
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stock — shares
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cap — a hat
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — hurry
  24. calf — a young animal

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