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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. last — to go on
  3. cue — for pool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — finally
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. sharp — clever
  12. season — in sport
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — of the year
  16. scale — size or range
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. snap — to click
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spring — of water
  24. plane — a tool

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