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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mug — a face
  18. club — a group
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — for golf
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cold — not warm
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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