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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. clip — a video
  3. kick — in football
  4. clip — to cut
  5. last — finally
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spell — letters
  8. press — to push
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. snap — to click
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — a publisher
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rule — a law
  22. spell — magic
  23. rule — government
  24. kick — a thrill

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