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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. game — a match
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cue — for pool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cue — a signal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fine — all right
  24. leaves — of a tree

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