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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a hint
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. game — a match
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cue — a signal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — a trail
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. pass — a permit

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