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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 116 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 · rule · game · coach · mug · pitcher · band · stock

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. game — wild animals
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — government
  9. stock — shares
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — goods
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. band — a music group
  20. rule — a law
  21. mug — a face
  22. band — a ring
  23. game — a match
  24. mug — a cup

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