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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — a series
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rule — a law
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rule — government
  14. net — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. season — in sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. arm — part of the body

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