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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cue — for pool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pop — soda
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. saw — the tool
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cue — a hint
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pop — music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. leaves — to go away

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