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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. scale — size or range
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mug — a face
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cue — a signal
  8. last — final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — to go on
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. sharp — clever
  15. last — finally
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — a path
  19. cue — a hint
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cue — for pool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. track — a song
  24. mug — to rob

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