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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: cue · temple · scale · rule · wave · bay · cold · mate

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rule — a law
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mate — a friend
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cold — an illness
  10. scale — in music
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mate — a partner
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. temple — side of the head

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