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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — government
  6. press — to push
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — newspapers
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — magic
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spell — letters
  14. rule — a law
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. fall — the season
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — obliged
  20. press — a publisher
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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