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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: cue · temple · clip · stock · bore · race · safe · hand

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. hand — in cards
  3. clip — to cut
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bore — to tire
  9. race — the arms race
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. race — a contest
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — for paper
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stock — shares
  19. race — humankind
  20. stock — goods
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. bore — to drill

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