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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rule — a law
  6. spring — of water
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spring — the season
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rule — government
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chip — in a computer

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