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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. swing — music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rule — government
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — a law
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — not warm
  20. clip — a video
  21. spell — letters
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. spell — magic

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