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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. ground — a position
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rule — a law
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rule — government
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hand — help
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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