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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: last · temple · tear · cap · arm · rule · squash · cue

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — finally
  6. cue — a signal
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. last — to go on
  10. rule — government
  11. cue — a hint
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — final
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rule — a law
  21. tear — from crying
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cap — of ice
  24. arm — part of the body

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