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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cue — a signal

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