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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: rule · drill · cold · wind · cue · mouse · bay · track

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. track — a song
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rule — a law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rule — government
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. track — a path
  20. drill — army training
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. drill — the tool

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