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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. march — the month
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hand — help
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cue — a signal
  11. snap — to click
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rule — government
  17. pit — a hole
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rule — a law

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