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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: pitcher · cue · rule · mark · hand · net · fork · lash

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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 — government
  2. net — after costs
  3. mark — a grade
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — a trace
  11. net — in sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rule — a law
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  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