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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mate — a friend
  14. current — of water
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. current — happening now
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — the sport
  21. current — electric
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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