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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. track — a song
  3. rule — government
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spring — the season
  7. rule — a law
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. spring — of water
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lean — to bend
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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