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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. clip — a video
  5. court — of law
  6. march — music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pit — a hole
  12. court — of a king
  13. rash — hasty
  14. court — for sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. clip — for paper
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rash — a series
  24. rule — to rule out

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