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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 120 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: bark · pound · coach · temple · leaves · cue · rule · key

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cue — a signal
  4. key — in music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. key — the most important part
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cue — for pool
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — government
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bark — to shout
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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