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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cue — a signal
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spring — the season
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rule — government
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tube — a container
  20. spring — a coil
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. swing — in golf

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