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

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. rule — a law
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tube — a container
  11. clip — a video
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rule — government
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. calf — a young animal
  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