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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rule — government
  3. rest — what's left
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stock — goods
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. clip — for paper
  15. scale — in music
  16. clip — a video
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rest — a break
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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