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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rash — a series
  5. game — a match
  6. tube — the underground
  7. season — of the year
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — a container
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cue — a hint
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — a signal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  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