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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — to cut
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rule — a law
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. clip — for paper
  13. tube — a container
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rule — government
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bass — low music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. tube — in a tire

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