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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. clip — to cut
  5. land — a country
  6. firm — steady
  7. deal — to handle
  8. clip — a video
  9. firm — a company
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rule — a law
  16. firm — decided
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. land — ground
  24. clip — for paper

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