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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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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: lie · rule · bark · wind · clip · file · chair · rest

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. file — a document
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. clip — to cut
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. file — a tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rule — government
  17. clip — a video
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bark — to shout
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wind — moving air

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