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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. clip — for paper
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rest — what's left
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. charge — in control
  16. swing — in golf
  17. perch — the fish
  18. swing — music
  19. charge — a price
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pit — a hole
  22. clip — a video
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. perch — for a bird

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