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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 124 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — for pool
  6. track — a song
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. march — music
  9. race — humankind
  10. march — the month
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. race — a contest
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — a series
  17. race — the arms race
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cue — a signal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — on the skin

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