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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. march — the month
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — child
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. scale — in music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — to tease
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cue — a hint
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rush — a thrill

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