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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rule — a law
  5. race — a contest
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cue — a hint
  8. race — humankind
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. lie — to recline
  11. ground — a position
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — a face
  24. cue — for pool

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