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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — all right
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fine — high quality
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. cue — for pool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. rule — a law
  15. cue — a signal
  16. drill — army training
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. tube — in a tire

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