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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · key · rule · cue · file · bass · wave · date

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — government
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. ball — a great time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. file — a tool
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cue — a hint
  17. date — the fruit
  18. key — in music
  19. rule — a law
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bass — low music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. ball — a dance

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