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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — after costs
  3. cue — a signal
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a line of people
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cue — for pool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — a country
  14. rule — government
  15. file — a tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a document

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