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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rule — a law
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — finally
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — to go on
  19. clip — a video
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rule — government
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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