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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cue — a hint
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cue — for pool
  11. spell — letters
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — a short time
  14. swing — in golf
  15. capital — money
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. capital — a city
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rest — a break
  24. capital — a big letter

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