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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: date · rule · can · hide · rest · cold · nail · cue

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Have you settled on 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. can — to be able to
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rule — government
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — a tin
  19. cue — a signal
  20. can — a tin
  21. date — the fruit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. date — on the calendar
  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