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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. swing — to play on
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cold — not warm
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. key — the most important part
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. key — for a lock
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. roll — a list
  18. swing — music
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. key — in music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — an illness

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