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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. object — to protest
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — army training
  8. cue — a signal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cue — a hint
  12. object — an aim
  13. cue — for pool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. drill — the tool
  19. object — a thing
  20. rule — a law
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rule — to rule out

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