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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kid — child
  3. firm — steady
  4. cue — a hint
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. key — the most important part
  9. firm — decided
  10. kid — to tease
  11. firm — a company
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a document
  14. rule — government
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. key — for a lock
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cue — a signal
  21. key — in music
  22. file — a tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cue — for pool

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