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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: rock · drill · stand · rest · cue · rash · bark · rule

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rule — a law
  7. rock — music
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rule — government
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bark — to shout
  16. drill — army training
  17. rest — a break
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — a series
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rest — what's left

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