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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stem — to come from
  5. suit — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. suit — to fit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. swing — music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cue — for pool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cue — a hint
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a document
  23. swing — to play on
  24. sharp — clever

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