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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rule — government
  4. bore — to drill
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — the season
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rule — a law
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rule — to rule out
  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