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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — a video
  4. key — for a lock
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bass — low music
  7. bound — certain
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bound — tied together
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — obliged
  22. key — in music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. key — the most important part

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