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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 was a fun ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cue — a signal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mug — a face
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bank — for money
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cue — a hint
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cue — for pool
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bank — for money
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bank — of a river

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