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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. clip — a video
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rule — government
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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