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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 116 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: pound · cabinet · rule · season · clip · straw · march · rock

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. clip — for paper
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. rule — a law
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. clip — to cut
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. season — of the year
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. season — in sport
  24. clip — a video

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