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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. season — of the year
  3. present — there
  4. cue — a signal
  5. present — a gift
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cue — a hint
  11. swing — to play on
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. drill — army training
  22. swing — music
  23. present — the time now
  24. wake — a trail

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