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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. clip — a video
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wake — a trail
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spell — letters
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rule — a law
  20. spell — magic
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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