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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. press — to push
  9. object — to protest
  10. rule — a law
  11. wound — an injury
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — to rob
  14. clip — a video
  15. rash — a series
  16. swing — music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mug — a face
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a cup

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