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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — a video
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — goods
  7. charge — electricity
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rule — a law
  10. charge — a price
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rule — government
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bank — for money
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stock — shares
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — in control
  22. bank — of a river
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bank — for money

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