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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: rock · tube · march · present · ruler · cue · kick · date

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. march — music
  10. present — there
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. march — the month
  16. kick — in football
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cue — a hint
  19. present — a gift
  20. tube — the underground
  21. present — the time now
  22. march — the month
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cue — for pool

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