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

Word bank: clip · fork · mouse · shower · rule · track · club · cue

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. track — a path
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rule — government
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cue — a signal
  13. club — a group
  14. cue — for pool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. shower — rain
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. club — for golf
  24. mouse — the animal

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