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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — of a king
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. season — of the year
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — in sport
  14. pop — to visit
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — for sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of law
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fork — in a road
  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