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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cue — for pool
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cue — a signal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a ring
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. cue — a hint
  21. band — a music group
  22. march — the month
  23. rule — government
  24. march — music

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