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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rule — government
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chest — a box
  15. rule — a law
  16. drill — army training
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. club — a group
  22. cue — a hint
  23. club — for golf
  24. drill — the tool

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