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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mate — to breed
  5. clip — to cut
  6. object — a thing
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. foot — a measure
  11. present — a gift
  12. rule — government
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. clip — a video
  15. object — to protest
  16. pound — a weight
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — for paper
  20. object — an aim
  21. present — the time now
  22. mate — a partner
  23. present — there
  24. pound — for dogs

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