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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. clip — a video
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. ground — crushed
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — for paper
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. ground — the earth
  16. charge — electricity
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. board — a committee
  20. spell — magic
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stock — goods
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — letters

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