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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. face — to confront
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tear — to rip
  10. face — part of the head
  11. charge — a price
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cue — a hint
  15. charge — in control
  16. rule — a law
  17. spring — of water
  18. charge — electricity
  19. tear — from crying
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spring — the season
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — government

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