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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. game — wild animals
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rule — a law
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — a match
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spring — the season
  11. rule — government
  12. spring — a coil
  13. toast — bread
  14. row — to paddle
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. spring — of water
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — a line
  23. chest — a box
  24. cue — a hint

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