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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spell — magic
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — a law
  7. ground — the earth
  8. spell — letters
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spell — a short time
  11. board — to get on
  12. rule — government
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ground — a position
  15. board — a committee
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pop — soda
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pop — music

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