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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.

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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. scale — size or range
  8. march — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — a hint
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rush — hurry

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