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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pop — music
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. last — final
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pop — soda
  10. last — to go on
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — finally
  16. scale — in music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cue — for pool

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