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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — a video
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stock — goods
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rule — a law
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tube — the underground
  20. game — a match
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — a container
  24. cue — for pool

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