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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. drill — a practice
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. clip — a video
  6. kid — child
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. drill — army training
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wake — a trail
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. kid — to tease

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