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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spring — the season
  5. bank — for money
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rule — government
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pass — a permit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — of water
  22. rule — a law
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — to tire

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