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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rule — a law
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fall — the season
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cue — a hint
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fork — to eat with

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