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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cue — for pool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rule — government
  14. face — to point toward
  15. sharp — clever
  16. face — to confront
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bat — the animal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cue — a hint

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