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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. track — a song
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rule — a law
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. track — a path
  19. rule — government
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. track — to keep track

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