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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. field — a subject
  9. fall — the season
  10. cue — a signal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. tube — a container
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. field — farmland
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cue — a hint
  20. field — for sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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