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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — a path
  6. cue — a signal
  7. present — the time now
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rule — government
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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