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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. staff — employees
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cue — a hint
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. charge — in control
  9. rash — a series
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. charge — a price
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. staff — a stick
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rule — a law
  19. staff — employees
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — in football
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rule — government
  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