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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spring — the season
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — of water
  10. rule — a law
  11. cue — for pool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rule — government
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fall — the season

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