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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pop — music
  4. swing — music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. staff — employees
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rule — a law
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cue — for pool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rule — government
  16. row — a line
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pop — to visit
  19. staff — employees
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pop — soda
  22. staff — a stick
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cue — a signal

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