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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. march — music
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cue — a signal
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. last — final
  15. squash — to crush
  16. dip — to sink
  17. march — the month
  18. last — finally
  19. cue — for pool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — a tin

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