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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — a subject
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rule — government
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cue — a hint
  15. prune — to trim
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — farmland
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cold — the Cold War

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