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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. clip — a video
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rule — government
  7. clip — for paper
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cell — a phone
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rule — a law
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. lean — thin
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cell — in biology
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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