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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. swing — in golf
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. file — a tool
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. scale — in music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. swing — to play on
  12. last — final
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. file — a line of people
  16. swing — music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — to go on
  20. scale — size or range
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. file — a document
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. last — finally

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