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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stock — shares
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lean — to bend
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — newspapers
  11. clip — for paper
  12. press — to push
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — a break
  18. stock — goods
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  24. stock — a soup base

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