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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bass — low music
  5. mate — a friend
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — a partner
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cue — for pool

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