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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. drill — army training
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rule — a law
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bank — of a river
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. bank — for money
  21. cue — a signal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rule — government
  24. bat — for baseball

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