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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wake — a trail
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rule — a law
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. march — the month
  8. rule — government
  9. charge — a price
  10. march — music
  11. clip — a video
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. charge — in control
  14. clip — to cut
  15. firm — a company
  16. shower — rain
  17. firm — steady
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. clip — for paper
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. firm — decided

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