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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stand — to bear
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. face — to point toward
  10. root — the cause
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cue — a hint
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. swing — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. face — to confront
  24. sharp — exactly

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