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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spring — the season
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. march — music
  7. spring — of water
  8. cue — for pool
  9. current — of water
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rule — a law
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. march — the month
  15. spring — a coil
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — for digging
  18. current — electric
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rule — government
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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