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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rule — government
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cue — a signal
  20. spring — the season
  21. land — a country
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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