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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. object — to protest
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. file — a tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mark — a trace
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — rain
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a grade
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. land — ground
  17. suit — clothes
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. land — a country

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