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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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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: pit · fan · drill · rule · stand · safe · cue · row

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pit — a hole
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rule — a law
  15. cue — a signal
  16. row — a line
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. drill — army training
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rule — government
  23. drill — a practice
  24. row — to paddle

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