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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. clip — to cut
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. deal — to handle
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rule — government
  12. press — newspapers
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. clip — a video
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. scale — in music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mug — to rob
  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