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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — a video
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — a signal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bass — low music
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. row — a line
  17. file — a document
  18. rule — government
  19. clip — for paper
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rule — a law
  23. clip — to cut
  24. file — a tool

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