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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rule — government
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — a series
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rash — hasty
  20. race — a contest
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spring — a coil
  24. clip — a video

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