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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. band — a ring
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a music group
  6. clip — for paper
  7. present — there
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — a gift
  12. cap — a hat
  13. present — the time now
  14. rule — government
  15. can — to be able to
  16. clip — a video
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cap — of ice
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. can — a tin
  23. rule — a law
  24. cap — a lid

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