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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — in golf
  4. firm — steady
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rush — hurry
  15. swing — to play on
  16. firm — decided
  17. bound — certain
  18. swing — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cue — a hint
  22. firm — a company
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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