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

Word bank: track · rule · clip · last · lie · rest · coach · fall

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. lie — to recline
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — a break
  6. rule — government
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. rest — what's left
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — a video
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. last — to go on
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rule — a law
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  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