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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 124 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bank — for money
  3. charge — electricity
  4. net — in sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — of a river
  8. clip — for paper
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. net — for catching
  11. fine — high quality
  12. saw — the tool
  13. charge — a price
  14. bank — for money
  15. fine — all right
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — after costs
  23. charge — in control
  24. rule — government

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