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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. clip — a video
  3. file — a tool
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. roll — a list
  6. squash — to crush
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mark — a grade
  9. row — a line
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pound — a weight
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — to paddle
  21. file — a document
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — the sport
  24. roll — on a roll

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