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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. rule — a law
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. last — finally
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rule — government
  16. last — to go on
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — final
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pop — music

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