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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cue — for pool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — to come down
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. firm — a company
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. firm — steady
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cue — a hint
  16. track — a song
  17. season — of the year
  18. track — a path
  19. pass — a permit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. land — ground
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — a country

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