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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. race — a contest
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — help
  9. rule — a law
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rule — government
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. clip — a video

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