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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rule — government
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cue — a signal
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. drill — army training

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