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

Word bank: ruler · kick · mark · mug · rest · file · clip · plane

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mug — a cup
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mark — a grade
  10. clip — a video
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rest — a break
  13. mug — a face
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mug — to rob
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a trace
  18. file — a document
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. plane — a tool
  24. kick — in football

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