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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. swing — music
  8. content — happy
  9. mug — a face
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fine — all right
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. content — the amount
  22. fine — high quality
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. swing — to play 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