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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rock — a stone
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. club — for golf
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. march — the month
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kid — child

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