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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 · rock · deal · wound · lie · field · mark · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rock — music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rock — a stone
  12. field — a subject
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. field — for sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — farmland
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rule — a law

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