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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. track — a path
  4. hand — help
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pit — in a race
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wave — of the sea

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