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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 · arm · deal · cap · cold · rule · drill · cue

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cue — a hint
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cue — for pool
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mate — a partner
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rule — a law
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cold — not warm
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. rule — government
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mate — to breed

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