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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.

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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rule — government
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. clip — a video
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ground — a position
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rule — a law
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — for paper
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ground — the earth

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