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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: cap · snap · date · wound · ruler · cue · rule · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a signal
  3. snap — to click
  4. cue — a hint
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. field — for sport
  11. rule — government
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. field — farmland
  16. rule — a law
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. date — the fruit

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