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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. clip — for paper
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — the fish
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — a subject
  11. clip — a video
  12. field — farmland
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rule — government
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. field — for sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. march — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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