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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: race · rule · staff · lie · bore · cue · date · field

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. staff — employees
  4. lie — to recline
  5. field — for sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cue — a signal
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — a contest
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — farmland
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — the arms race
  19. field — a subject
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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