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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. scale — size or range
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. rule — government
  11. wake — a trail
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — in music
  19. game — a match
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. last — finally
  24. cue — a hint

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