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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: cue · sharp · rule · net · band · pitch · kid · rash

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. net — after costs
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rash — a series
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — government
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. kid — child
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rule — a law
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. net — for catching
  23. kid — to tease
  24. band — a rubber band

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