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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. club — a group
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. club — for golf
  22. rule — a law
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cabinet — ministers

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