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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cue — a hint
  3. deal — to handle
  4. last — final
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. swing — to play on
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. swing — music
  22. last — to go on
  23. rock — a stone
  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