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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · clip · content · race · rush · stock · cue · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tube — a container
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — shares
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. tube — the underground
  11. race — the arms race
  12. clip — a video
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. content — happy
  20. stock — goods
  21. cue — a hint
  22. clip — for paper
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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