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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rule — government
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rule — a law
  5. march — the month
  6. cue — for pool
  7. branch — a division
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. march — the month
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wind — moving air
  16. march — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. key — in music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cap — of ice
  24. key — the most important part

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