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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · root · game · ground · cue · calf · stock · rule

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. root — the cause
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ground — a position
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stock — shares
  12. cue — a hint
  13. game — a match
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stock — goods
  16. clip — a video
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rule — a law
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — of a word
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rule — government
  24. root — of a plant

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