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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. clip — a video
  5. roll — a cake
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — tied together
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rule — government
  19. bound — certain
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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