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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 124 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. field — farmland
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rule — government
  8. field — for sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rest — a break
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — a subject
  17. shower — rain
  18. rest — what's left
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — to cut

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