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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · can · clip · bay · mark · last · temple · file

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rule — government
  3. can — a tin
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. last — finally
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rule — a law
  10. clip — a video
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — a trace
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. clip — for paper
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mark — a grade
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. last — to go on
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — final
  24. file — a tool

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