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

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stand — to bear
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rule — a law
  13. spell — letters
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — a video
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spell — magic

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