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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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Word bank
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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: fan · pit · clip · present · rule · net · cabinet · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — a video
  4. present — a gift
  5. rule — a law
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — to cut
  8. net — for catching
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — government
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. clip — for paper
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rule — to rule out

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