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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. net — after costs
  10. swing — in golf
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. face — to confront
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fine — all right
  15. face — to point toward
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. swing — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — magic
  20. cue — for pool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — thin
  23. swing — to play on
  24. net — in sport

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