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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cue — a hint
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rule — a law
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rule — government
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — electricity

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