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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. clip — a video
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rule — a law
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wake — a trail
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pound — to hit hard

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