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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rule — government
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. object — an aim
  6. kid — child
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rule — a law
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — a thing
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. object — to protest
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — animal skin

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