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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rule — government
  5. charge — a price
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. race — the arms race
  12. clip — to cut
  13. race — humankind
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. race — a contest
  18. charge — in control
  19. rule — a law
  20. charge — electricity
  21. clip — a video
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. leaves — lets stay

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