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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. band — a ring
  4. rule — a law
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ground — the earth
  8. clip — a video
  9. ground — crushed
  10. band — a music group
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rule — government
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — a series
  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