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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 124 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cue — for pool
  4. land — ground
  5. tear — from crying
  6. land — to come down
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bore — to tire
  14. scale — size or range
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fall — the season
  21. land — a country
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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