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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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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. cue — for pool
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — a box
  7. land — ground
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pop — music
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rash — a series
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — soda
  24. rash — hasty

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