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

Word bank: rule · tube · chair · kid · spring · cue · charge · swing

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. tube — the underground
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cue — a signal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spring — of water
  11. cue — a hint
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. charge — in control
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. kid — child
  19. tube — a container
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. swing — music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. charge — electricity

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