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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: rule · clip · stick · pop · game · club · pass · wave

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. clip — to cut
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — government
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. game — wild animals
  8. club — for dancing
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — soda
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. club — a group
  16. rule — a law
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pass — a permit
  19. clip — a video
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. club — for golf
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pop — music

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