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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rash — hasty
  3. court — for sport
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rash — a series
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rule — a law
  24. wind — moving air

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