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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: march · rule · bound · craft · mate · dip · tear · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. march — the month
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. mate — a partner
  14. march — music
  15. cue — a hint
  16. craft — boats
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. tear — from crying
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — a friend
  24. dip — a sauce

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