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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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468
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: rash · march · rest · patient · ball · rule · cue · prune

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ball — a dance
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — a break
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — music
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rash — hasty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — government
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — a series
  23. cue — a hint
  24. march — the month

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