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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. root — of a plant
  4. clip — a video
  5. chest — a box
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rule — a law
  11. band — a ring
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. root — the cause
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fine — all right
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. root — of a word
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. band — a music group
  24. rule — government

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