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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: pop · mate · stick · ruler · field · spring · cue · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. cue — for pool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — soda
  5. rule — government
  6. mate — to breed
  7. field — for sport
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pop — to visit
  10. field — a subject
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — the season
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — a law
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pop — music
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spring — of water
  24. cue — a signal

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