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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cue — a signal
  3. row — a line
  4. band — a music group
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — child
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. row — to paddle
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pound — a weight
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. band — a ring
  21. rule — a law
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. row — a quarrel

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