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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · drill · press · cue · spring · craft · march · court

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rule — a law
  5. craft — a skill
  6. drill — army training
  7. cue — a signal
  8. press — newspapers
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — government
  11. craft — boats
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — of law
  15. cue — a hint
  16. court — of a king
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. drill — the tool
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. march — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. drill — a practice

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