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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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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cell — in biology
  3. clip — a video
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — for paper
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rule — a law
  16. squash — the sport
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cell — a phone
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rule — government
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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