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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bound — certain
  8. rule — government
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — a law
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stock — shares
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. stock — goods
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kick — in football

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