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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mug — to rob
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mug — a cup
  5. clip — for paper
  6. club — for dancing
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — a law
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. club — a group
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rule — government
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. mug — a face
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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