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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cue — for pool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. race — humankind
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a signal
  10. season — of the year
  11. rest — what's left
  12. race — the arms race
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rest — a break
  15. race — a contest
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. sharp — clever

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