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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mug — a face
  7. fine — all right
  8. cue — for pool
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. season — in sport
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mug — a cup
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fine — high quality
  24. season — to add flavour

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