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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cue — for pool
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rule — a law
  9. suit — clothes
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. deal — to handle
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — farmland
  18. fall — the season
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rule — government
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — a subject

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