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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. firm — a company
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rule — government
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. firm — decided
  11. ball — a dance
  12. clip — a video
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lean — thin
  16. firm — steady
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spell — magic
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rule — a law
  22. spell — letters
  23. cue — a signal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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