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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. club — for golf
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cue — a hint
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mate — a friend
  12. club — a group
  13. swing — to play on
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bass — low music
  16. swing — music
  17. club — for dancing
  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