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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — music
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rule — government
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rule — a law
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. march — the month
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cue — for pool
  24. hide — to keep secret

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