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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rash — a series
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. clip — to cut
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — for golf
  10. clip — a video
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. club — a group
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rule — government
  23. fall — the season
  24. wind — to turn a key

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