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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: mate · temple · sharp · file · rest · toast · clip · wake

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. file — a tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. toast — bread
  5. file — a line of people
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mate — a partner
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — clever
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mate — to breed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. clip — to cut
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a document
  24. rest — what's left

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