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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cue — for pool
  3. last — final
  4. march — the month
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cue — a hint
  8. last — finally
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. press — to push
  18. cue — a signal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. march — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. march — the month

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