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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rule — government
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rule — a law
  11. object — to protest
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. object — a thing
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. object — an aim
  24. face — to point toward

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