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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 124 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. board — to get on
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. row — a line
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. row — to paddle
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cue — a hint
  11. board — a committee
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — to go on
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cue — a signal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. scale — in music
  23. last — final
  24. cap — a lid

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