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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — a video
  4. stock — shares
  5. charge — a price
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rule — a law
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. charge — in control
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stock — goods
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — government
  17. charge — electricity
  18. hand — help
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. clip — for paper

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