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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cue — a signal
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cue — for pool
  11. court — of a king
  12. cue — a hint
  13. court — of law
  14. rule — government
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — wild animals
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. object — a thing
  22. snap — to click
  23. rule — a law
  24. game — a match

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