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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. present — the time now
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rule — government
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — a match
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tube — a container
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — there
  23. rule — a law
  24. game — wild animals

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