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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — of water
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. squash — the sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cue — for pool
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rule — government
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spring — the season

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