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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. club — a group
  3. clip — a video
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. clip — for paper
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mark — a trace
  11. clip — to cut
  12. club — for golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. lean — thin
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. season — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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