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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rule — a law
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pit — a hole

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