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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rule — a law
  3. club — for golf
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chip — for betting
  6. game — a match
  7. rule — government
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. club — a group
  12. rash — a series
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stock — goods
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bear — the animal

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