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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. present — the time now
  3. tear — to rip
  4. saw — the tool
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rule — a law
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rule — government
  9. saw — the tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. degree — an amount
  13. object — to protest
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. clip — a video
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. tear — from crying
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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