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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stock — shares
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. clip — a video
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — goods
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — after costs
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. key — in music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. net — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rule — a law
  23. key — the most important part
  24. net — for catching

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