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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. land — a country
  3. bear — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rule — government
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — a law
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wake — a trail
  15. foot — a measure
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. land — ground
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. land — to come down
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. date — the fruit

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