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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rule — government
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pop — soda
  7. key — in music
  8. snap — to click
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spring — of water
  11. pop — music
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pop — to visit
  16. face — to confront
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. key — the most important part
  19. board — to get on
  20. rule — a law
  21. face — part of the head
  22. board — a committee
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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