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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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Word bank
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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: season · bark · mark · clip · cue · rule · rash · bore

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rash — a series
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bark — to shout
  12. clip — a video
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mark — to pay attention

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