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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. land — ground
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mug — a cup
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — to come down
  8. cue — a signal
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mug — a face
  18. field — a subject
  19. sharp — clever
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rule — government
  23. mug — to rob
  24. sharp — exactly

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