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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pop — soda
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pop — music
  6. pit — in a race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spell — a short time
  13. clip — a video
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — letters
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fine — all right
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pit — a hole
  22. spell — magic
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — for baseball

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