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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. staff — employees
  3. object — a thing
  4. race — humankind
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cue — for pool
  7. object — to protest
  8. rash — hasty
  9. race — the arms race
  10. object — an aim
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. cue — a hint
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. rash — a series
  23. race — a contest
  24. rule — to rule out

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