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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — to confront
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. squash — the sport
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pit — a hole
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cue — a hint
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. face — to point toward
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cue — a signal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — to crush
  24. face — part of the head

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