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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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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: bat · wake · cue · rule · rock · bound · spell · can

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cue — for pool
  5. spell — magic
  6. wake — a trail
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spell — a short time
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — certain
  13. rule — a law
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spell — letters
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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