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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 124 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bulb — for light
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — a hint
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rule — government
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kid — child
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rule — a law

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