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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — money
  4. clip — a video
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. capital — a city
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rule — a law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rule — government
  14. clip — to cut
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. roll — a list
  21. clip — for paper
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. roll — a cake

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