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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. 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. swing — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. cue — a signal
  4. face — to confront
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. clip — to cut
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — a video
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cue — a hint
  24. 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