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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 120 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: mate · wake · lie · cue · cold · cabinet · rule · squash

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rule — government
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rule — a law
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cold — an illness
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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