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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cue — for pool
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — to eat
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bat — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a ring
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bat — for baseball

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