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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rule — a law
  3. charge — a price
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. land — a country
  13. game — a match
  14. cue — a signal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. charge — electricity
  17. land — ground
  18. rule — government
  19. date — the fruit
  20. charge — in control
  21. cue — for pool
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — in a race
  24. game — a kind of play

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