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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mug — to rob
  3. track — a path
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a match
  7. file — a tool
  8. track — to keep track
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mug — a cup
  14. file — a line of people
  15. track — a song
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rule — government
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. clip — a video
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rule — a law
  22. perch — the fish
  23. clip — for paper
  24. perch — for a bird

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