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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — for catching
  5. rule — government
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pound — a weight
  11. clip — a video
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — to cut
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. net — in sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. net — after costs
  23. rush — hurry
  24. calf — a young animal

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