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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · pound · race · cue · sharp · rule

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pound — a weight
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — the arms race
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rule — a law
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rule — government
  17. race — a contest
  18. deal — an agreement

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