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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — electricity
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a line
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rule — a law
  11. charge — in control
  12. net — for catching
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — to paddle
  18. clip — a video
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cue — for pool
  21. net — in sport
  22. rule — government
  23. cue — a signal
  24. row — a quarrel

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