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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. clip — a video
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rule — government
  10. current — of water
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pop — to visit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rule — a law
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pop — music
  20. current — happening now
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rule — to rule out

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