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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — low music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rule — government
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — to go on
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. last — final
  24. bat — the animal

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