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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cue — a signal
  5. date — the fruit
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — an injury
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — after costs
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — in sport
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — for catching

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