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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. content — happy
  4. toast — bread
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lie — to recline
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rule — government
  9. bank — for money
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — a video
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stand — to bear
  18. swing — music
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bank — of a river
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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