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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: cue · rule · fall · race · cap · land · mouse · hide

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cue — a signal
  10. race — humankind
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rule — a law
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. land — ground
  23. fall — the season
  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