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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: hand · bark · rule · cue · object · stock · firm · rash

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. firm — a company
  3. cue — a signal
  4. hand — help
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rash — hasty
  13. firm — decided
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. firm — steady
  18. rash — a series
  19. rule — government
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rule — a law
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hand — in cards

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