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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. race — a contest
  10. hand — in cards
  11. race — humankind
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stock — goods
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stock — shares
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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