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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rule — government
  3. clip — to cut
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rash — a series
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bank — for money
  23. rule — a law
  24. key — for a lock

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