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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rule — government
  4. current — electric
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. current — happening now
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mate — a friend
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rule — a law
  21. march — music
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — of water
  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