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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cue — a hint
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. swing — music
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cue — a signal
  11. last — final
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fork — in a road
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — for pool
  21. squash — to crush
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — the sport

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