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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: game · march · rule · cue · fork · swing · bank · stand

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. cue — for pool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. rule — government
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bank — for money
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rule — a law
  19. cue — a hint
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. swing — music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stand — for spectators

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