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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: craft · cell · press · board · clip · rule · pit · safe

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. board — a committee
  6. cell — in biology
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pit — a hole
  11. craft — boats
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. press — a publisher
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. craft — a skill
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  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