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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rule — government
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. current — happening now
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rule — a law
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — the season
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rock — music
  23. clip — a video
  24. safe — a strongbox

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