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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — in music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cue — a signal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lean — thin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bat — in an idiom

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