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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rule — government
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chest — a box
  5. net — after costs
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. clip — a video
  15. mark — a grade
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. net — for catching
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. net — in sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rule — a law

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