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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rule — government
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. clip — a video
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rule — a law
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — the animal
  24. race — the arms race

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