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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. race — a contest
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mate — to breed
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mate — a partner
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. race — humankind
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — in football
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. roll — a list
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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