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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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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: cue · rule · press · saw · drill · bark · cell · clip

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cue — for pool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. clip — a video
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. drill — the tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rule — a law
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cell — a phone
  18. saw — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cell — in biology

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