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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — music
  4. rule — a law
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — to be able to
  7. charge — a price
  8. mug — a cup
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pop — soda
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — in control
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rule — government
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a face

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