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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 116 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: deal · cue · rest · land · mark · rule · rash · bat

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. land — to come down
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rash — a series
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bat — the animal
  14. land — a country
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — hasty
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rest — a break
  20. rule — a law
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rule — government
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cue — a hint

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