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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 get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rush — hurry
  4. present — the time now
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rule — government
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rule — a law
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. key — for a lock
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. present — there
  23. clip — to cut
  24. can — a tin

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