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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. court — of a king
  5. track — a path
  6. cue — a signal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. track — to keep track
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cue — for pool
  17. court — of law
  18. track — a song

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