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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. clip — a video
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rule — government
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rule — a law
  10. court — for sport
  11. craft — a skill
  12. band — a ring
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cue — a hint
  18. court — of law
  19. craft — boats
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cue — for pool
  24. court — of a king

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