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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. clip — to cut
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rule — a law
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. season — of the year
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. clip — a video
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rule — government
  21. clip — for paper
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lean — thin

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