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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. row — a line
  5. spell — letters
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. file — a tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bass — the fish
  12. band — a music group
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. file — a document
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — a hint
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. file — a line of people
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. band — a ring
  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