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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. clip — a video
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — shares
  7. clip — to cut
  8. file — a tool
  9. object — a thing
  10. cell — a phone
  11. file — a line of people
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rest — a break
  16. stock — goods
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a document
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stand — for spectators

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