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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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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: cell · last · bass · fine · rash · mark · clip · file

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — a series
  4. fine — high quality
  5. file — a document
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. clip — a video
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fine — all right
  15. file — a tool
  16. bass — low music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cell — a phone
  22. clip — for paper
  23. file — a line of people
  24. clip — to cut

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