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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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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. field — a subject
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — for sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rush — hurry
  10. hand — help
  11. rule — a law
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rule — government
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — farmland
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — a series
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — to hurry

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