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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rock — music
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lie — to recline
  7. game — a match
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. cue — a signal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — a stone
  24. foot — a measure

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