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

Word bank: pit · cold · present · deal · bound · rest · cue · rule

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. present — there
  3. rest — what's left
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rest — a break
  8. cold — an illness
  9. present — the time now
  10. rule — a law
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rule — government
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. present — a gift
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bound — tied together

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