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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. clip — a video
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cold — an illness
  9. board — to get on
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rule — a law
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. board — a committee
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rock — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rule — government
  22. cold — not warm
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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