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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — a law
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rest — a break
  19. rush — hurry
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — certain
  22. cue — a signal
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rest — what's left

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