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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. net — for catching
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. last — final
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — after costs
  15. cue — a signal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — to go on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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