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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. scale — in music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — help
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. land — to come down
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. land — ground
  21. scale — size or range
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — a country
  24. hand — in cards

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