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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rash — a series
  6. hand — help
  7. swing — music
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bowl — a football final

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