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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. track — a song
  3. pit — in a race
  4. clip — a video
  5. ground — a position
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rule — government
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — a match
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. track — a path
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rule — a law
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. ground — the earth
  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