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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rule — government
  5. band — a ring
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. land — ground
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rule — a law
  20. band — a music group
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fork — in a road

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