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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: rule · tear · capital · cue · pound · object · chip · wound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — a signal
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — to protest
  7. cue — a hint
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cue — for pool
  10. capital — money
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tear — to rip
  14. object — an aim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — a law
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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