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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. last — finally
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — final

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