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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — in control
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rule — a law
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. clip — to cut
  17. charge — electricity
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. charge — a price
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rule — government

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