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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. present — the time now
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — thin
  9. present — there
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. clip — a video
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lean — to bend
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pop — to visit
  19. clip — for paper
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. lean — to rest against

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