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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rock — music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. kid — child
  7. cue — a hint
  8. suit — in cards
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. ground — a position
  12. rock — a stone
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ground — crushed
  15. last — final
  16. spring — a coil
  17. suit — clothes
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. suit — to fit
  20. deal — to handle
  21. last — finally
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. ground — the earth
  24. last — to go on

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