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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: rule · tear · clip · face · squash · object · cue · cap

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rule — government
  9. face — to confront
  10. object — a thing
  11. cap — a hat
  12. clip — a video
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — to protest
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — an aim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. clip — to cut

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