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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rule — government
  6. mug — a cup
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. file — a tool
  10. rule — a law
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. root — of a word
  14. mug — to rob
  15. root — the cause
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a document
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. clip — a video

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