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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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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: present · cue · branch · rule · key · land · mate · swing

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. present — a gift
  3. land — ground
  4. mate — a partner
  5. swing — to play on
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. land — a country
  9. present — there
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mate — a friend
  15. swing — music
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mate — to breed
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. present — the time now
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. swing — in golf
  23. land — to come down
  24. rule — government

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