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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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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: hand · rash · fall · cue · clip · pop · firm · rule

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. firm — a company
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pop — soda
  8. firm — steady
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rule — government
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rule — a law
  19. firm — decided
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — a series
  22. cue — a hint
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rule — to rule out

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