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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rule — a law
  3. present — a gift
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. last — final
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — the time now
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rule — government
  15. present — there
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cold — not warm
  22. last — to go on
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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