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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: cue · last · board · rush · game · perch · rule · foot

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a match
  3. board — to get on
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rule — government
  6. perch — the fish
  7. last — finally
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rule — a law
  15. board — a committee
  16. cue — a signal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. last — to go on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. foot — part of the body

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