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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 · bass · stock · dip · cue · coach · rule · mug

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cue — for pool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bass — low music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mug — a face
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stock — shares
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rule — a law
  12. march — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stock — goods
  18. mug — a cup
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. march — the month
  24. rule — government

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