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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. tube — the underground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. swing — in golf
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cue — a hint
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. swing — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pop — music

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