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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — a line
  4. rule — a law
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. club — a group
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cue — for pool
  11. club — for golf
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. club — for dancing

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