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

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. clip — a video
  3. stock — goods
  4. root — the cause
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stock — shares
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. band — a ring
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. band — a music group
  14. drill — army training
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. row — to paddle
  18. clip — for paper
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. row — a line
  21. root — of a word
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mate — to breed
  24. root — of a plant

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