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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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Word bank
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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: face · hide · pit · land · rule · capital · cabinet · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rule — a law
  3. capital — a city
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — government
  13. cue — for pool
  14. land — to come down
  15. capital — money
  16. pit — in a race
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pit — a hole
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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