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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rule — a law
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — a division
  5. rule — government
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mate — to breed
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. clip — a video
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. game — wild animals

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