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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. shower — to wash
  3. track — a path
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. game — a match
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — for pool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cue — a signal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. shower — rain
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. season — in sport
  24. cue — a hint

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