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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: rule · cue · content · court · row · trunk · hand · rush

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — happy
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rule — a law
  16. cue — a hint
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cue — for pool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — government
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. content — the amount
  24. rule — to rule out

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