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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: bat · mate · rule · shower · face · ruler · snap · cue

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. snap — to click
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mate — a friend
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rule — a law
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. shower — rain
  15. cue — a signal
  16. face — to confront
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rule — government
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. shower — to wash

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