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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
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: key · cold · track · wake · date · pitcher · rock · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rock — a stone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rock — music
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rule — government
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cold — an illness
  19. key — the most important part
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. cold — not warm

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