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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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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cue — a hint
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cue — for pool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — final
  20. rule — a law
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rule — government

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