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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — help
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. clip — to cut
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. rule — a law
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rule — government
  24. roll — a list

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