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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cue — a hint
  7. season — in sport
  8. land — a country
  9. last — finally
  10. ball — a great time
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mug — to rob
  13. land — ground
  14. season — of the year
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mug — a face
  17. foot — a measure
  18. land — to come down
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — of a tree

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