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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — of the year
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — low music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — for paper
  13. face — to confront
  14. rule — government
  15. bank — of a river
  16. season — in sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. file — a document
  19. pop — soda
  20. file — a tool
  21. rule — a law
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pop — to visit
  24. clip — a video

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