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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — government
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mark — a grade
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mark — a trace
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rule — a law
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. march — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. march — the month
  21. chest — a box
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. chest — of your body

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