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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. clip — a video
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. net — in sport
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. net — after costs
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pop — soda
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — for catching
  20. pass — a permit
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rule — government
  24. rash — hasty

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