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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · clip · court · content · mark · object · face · drill

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — a trace
  3. object — an aim
  4. mark — a grade
  5. file — a line of people
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to confront
  8. content — the amount
  9. object — a thing
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. object — to protest
  16. drill — army training
  17. court — of law
  18. drill — the tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. clip — a video
  22. content — happy
  23. face — part of the head
  24. court — of a king

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