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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · hand · racket · wave · face · bay · pass · clip

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rule — government
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hand — help
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. face — to confront
  10. clip — a video
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — a law
  24. hand — in cards

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