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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. land — to come down
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — ground
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — government
  13. cold — not warm
  14. deal — to handle
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. land — a country
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — a law
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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