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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 124 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. toast — bread
  3. mug — a face
  4. cue — a signal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. cue — for pool
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — a coil
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. spring — of water
  18. rule — government
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mug — to rob
  23. key — in music
  24. cue — a hint

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