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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — after costs
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rule — government
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. net — for catching
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — part of the head
  15. clip — to cut
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. can — a tin
  20. rule — a law
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. face — to confront
  23. net — in sport
  24. squash — to crush

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