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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cue — for pool
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. game — a match
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rule — a law
  13. cue — a signal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. root — the cause
  21. lie — to recline
  22. root — of a word
  23. firm — a company
  24. rule — government

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