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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. capital — money
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. present — there
  7. current — electric
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. current — happening now
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. current — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rock — music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. cue — for pool
  23. present — the time now
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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