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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. clip — a video
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. season — in sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rush — hurry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rule — government
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. kid — child
  22. clip — for paper
  23. dip — to sink
  24. kid — to tease

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