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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. current — happening now
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rock — a stone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rock — music
  13. rule — government
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — to crush
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chest — a box
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cue — a hint
  21. current — electric
  22. bulb — for light
  23. current — of water
  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