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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rule — a law
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. clip — a video
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wind — moving air
  15. clip — for paper
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. charge — in control
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bulb — for light

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