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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 124 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — final
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a ring
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. band — a music group
  11. rash — a series
  12. cue — a signal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. net — after costs
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. net — in sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. last — finally
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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