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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cue — for pool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. swing — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. swing — in golf
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. leaves — of a tree

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