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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rule — a law
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rule — government
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wound — an injury
  24. patient — a sick person

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