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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chest — a box
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. swing — to play on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mark — a trace

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