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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cue — for pool
  7. band — a ring
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. rule — a law
  11. board — a committee
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. present — there
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cue — a signal
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — music
  20. band — a music group
  21. cue — a hint
  22. present — a gift
  23. board — to get on
  24. rule — government

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