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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rule — government
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mate — a partner
  12. clip — a video
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bear — the animal

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