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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. present — the time now
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. clip — a video
  10. chip — for betting
  11. clip — for paper
  12. charge — a price
  13. game — wild animals
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. present — there
  16. charge — in control
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — a match
  21. cold — not warm
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. present — a gift

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