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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pop — soda
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. file — a tool
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. last — finally
  9. pop — music
  10. file — a document
  11. last — final
  12. cap — of ice
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — help
  15. cue — a signal
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. file — a line of people
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pop — to visit
  23. toast — bread
  24. hand — in cards

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