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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spring — of water
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rule — a law
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rule — government
  15. cue — a signal
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. perch — for a bird

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