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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. craft — boats
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spring — a coil
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rule — a law
  12. spring — the season
  13. craft — a skill
  14. kick — in football
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bass — low music
  17. spring — of water
  18. clip — a video
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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