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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: bulb · cue · field · rule · cabinet · bass · hand · mate

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bass — the fish
  5. field — for sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rule — government
  11. mate — to breed
  12. hand — help
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. field — farmland
  23. rule — a law
  24. bulb — of a plant

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