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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · deal · cue · cap · mine · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cap — a hat
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. race — humankind
  5. cue — for pool
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — a lid
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. race — a contest
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — of ice
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rule — a law

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