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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pit — in a race
  4. present — a gift
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. swing — to play on
  8. present — there
  9. prune — to trim
  10. swing — music
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — a hint
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. ball — a dance
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cue — a signal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cold — an illness

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