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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. clip — a video
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. clip — to cut

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