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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. 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. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cue — a hint
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. 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