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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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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: craft · rash · bat · stock · plane · rule · clip · cue

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. stock — shares
  4. plane — a tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rash — hasty
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stock — goods
  19. rash — a series
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. clip — for paper

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