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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · stock · rush · sharp · file · chair · bore · season

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. file — a document
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bore — to drill
  6. file — a tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stock — goods
  10. bore — to tire
  11. clip — for paper
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — a leader
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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