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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — for pool
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — in golf
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — not warm
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — to play on
  18. shower — rain
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cue — a signal
  21. swing — music
  22. file — a document
  23. cue — a hint
  24. file — 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