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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: pound · cell · pitcher · hand · race · cue · wake · rule

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rule — a law
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. race — a contest
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. race — humankind
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hand — in cards

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