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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. court — of law
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rule — government
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. land — ground
  14. mug — a face
  15. court — of a king
  16. land — a country
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. court — for sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  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