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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. staff — a stick
  3. clip — to cut
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — to come from
  14. track — a song
  15. clip — for paper
  16. staff — employees
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mark — a trace
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rule — a law
  22. mark — a grade
  23. clip — a video
  24. staff — employees

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