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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. squash — the sport
  3. march — music
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — to come from
  12. charge — in control
  13. ground — crushed
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. charge — electricity
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — clever
  22. charge — a price
  23. ground — the earth
  24. sharp — with an edge

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