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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cue — for pool
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — in music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chip — to eat
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spring — the season
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spring — of water

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