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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.

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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 · fall · cue · mark · rule · march · racket · tube

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. clip — to cut
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. clip — a video
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tube — a container
  7. fall — the season
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rule — a law
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cue — for pool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. march — music
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cue — a hint
  18. march — the month
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fall — to drop
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — a signal
  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