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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spring — of water
  4. pop — soda
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. game — a match
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — a grade
  9. season — of the year
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — in sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — low music
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pop — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — a hint

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