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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wake — a trail
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mine — for digging
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. root — the cause
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. clip — a video
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. clip — for paper
  18. root — of a plant
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — a law
  21. root — of a word
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rule — to rule out

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