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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. clip — to cut
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rule — a law
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rule — government
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rush — hurry
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. ground — a position
  24. ball — a great time

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