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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rock — music
  3. pop — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rest — a break
  10. pop — to visit
  11. last — final
  12. pop — soda
  13. season — in sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — a song
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cue — a hint
  19. track — a path
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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