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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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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: drill · cap · rule · club · cue · tear · mug · game

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rule — government
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. club — a group
  11. mug — a face
  12. game — a match
  13. drill — army training
  14. cap — a hat
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. drill — the tool
  18. club — for golf
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — of ice
  23. club — for dancing
  24. tear — to rip

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