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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. net — for catching
  4. drill — a practice
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cue — for pool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rule — a law
  9. board — a committee
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. net — in sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — after costs
  15. rule — government
  16. cue — a hint
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — a partner
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — army training
  22. board — to get on
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mate — to breed

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