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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. land — ground
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. rule — a law
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mate — to breed
  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