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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. swing — in golf
  8. current — happening now
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. swing — music
  14. current — of water
  15. snap — to click
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cue — for pool
  21. current — electric
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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