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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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468
Word bank
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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. drill — army training
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. march — the month
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. march — music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cue — for pool
  18. capital — money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. capital — a city
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cue — a signal

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