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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: foot · cabinet · snap · drill · rule · scale · cue · tear

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rule — a law
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cue — for pool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to click
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. drill — a practice
  19. scale — in music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rule — government
  22. drill — army training
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cabinet — ministers

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