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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: clip · rule · fan · temple · cue · present · sharp · spring

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. present — the time now
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. present — a gift
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. present — there
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spring — the season
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cue — for pool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — a video
  20. rule — government
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rule — a law
  24. spring — of water

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