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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — a video
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pit — in a race
  11. press — to push
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kick — in football
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — for paper
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pit — a hole

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