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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. season — of the year
  4. track — a song
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chip — for betting
  13. kick — in football
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. race — humankind
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a path

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