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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. cue — a hint
  3. object — an aim
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — the fish
  7. row — to paddle
  8. object — to protest
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. object — a thing
  15. pit — in a race
  16. present — a gift
  17. land — a country
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. row — a line
  20. present — there
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — the time now
  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