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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — government
  4. band — a ring
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rush — hurry
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. object — a thing
  16. rule — a law
  17. band — a music group
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — to drill

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