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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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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: mark · can · row · lie · straw · clip · ruler · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. can — a tin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. clip — for paper
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. row — a line
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lie — to recline
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a document
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mark — a trace
  24. row — to paddle

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