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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rule — government
  3. charge — a price
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — in control
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — a law
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kid — child
  24. wax — to grow

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