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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. file — a document
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bass — low music
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — part of the head
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. face — to confront
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. scale — for weighing

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