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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. rule — government
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rock — music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — a video
  7. branch — a division
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rule — a law
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. game — a match
  23. clip — for paper
  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