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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rule — a law
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — to cut
  21. kick — in football
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. rush — to hurry

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