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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rash — a series
  4. ball — a great time
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pit — a hole
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rule — a law
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rule — government
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rash — hasty
  21. drill — army training
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. drill — a practice

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