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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: clip · rule · squash · cue · wave · bay · deal · capital

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. clip — for paper
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. clip — to cut
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rule — a law
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rule — government
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. clip — a video

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