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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. scale — in music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cue — a signal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. scale — size or range
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. face — to confront
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — a hint

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