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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stem — to come from
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rule — a law
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — letters
  12. clip — for paper
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spell — magic
  16. rule — government
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spell — a short time
  20. scale — in music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rush — hurry
  24. scale — for weighing

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