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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bat — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. club — a group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rule — a law
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — for paper
  13. club — for golf
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. clip — a video
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rule — government
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bat — in an idiom

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