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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cue — for pool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. pop — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pop — soda
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ground — crushed
  23. last — final
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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