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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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 — to play on
  2. ball — a dance
  3. land — ground
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. land — to come down
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. swing — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — a country
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cue — a signal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  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