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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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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 · file · drill · leaves · deal · cap · bay · cold

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. deal — to handle
  3. clip — for paper
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. file — a tool
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cold — an illness
  10. drill — army training
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cold — not warm
  13. clip — to cut
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. file — a document
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. clip — a video
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cap — a hat

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