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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pop — soda
  12. rest — a break
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. race — humankind
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fine — all right
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rest — what's left
  24. race — a contest

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