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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. file — a tool
  24. cold — not warm

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