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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — in sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. track — a path
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — for paper
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mark — a trace
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chip — to eat
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. rule — government

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