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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cue — a signal
  3. drill — army training
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — a series
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rule — government
  16. sharp — clever
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — for light
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rule — a law

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