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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — in sport
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pop — soda
  8. season — of the year
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wound — an injury
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — certain
  13. charge — a price
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. clip — a video
  16. pop — music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rule — a law
  23. pop — to visit
  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