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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · rule · court · last · cue · straw · mine · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. court — for sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. last — final
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cue — a signal
  10. court — of a king
  11. last — finally
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — letters
  17. last — to go on
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — of law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spell — magic
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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