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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. staff — employees
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cue — for pool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. clip — a video
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. staff — a stick
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cue — a hint
  11. staff — employees
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — government
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rule — a law
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mate — a partner
  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