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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — a practice
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cue — a hint
  14. clip — a video
  15. rock — music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pit — a hole
  21. last — to go on
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — for catching
  24. rock — a stone

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