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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — a permit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. season — in sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. cue — a signal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. season — of the year
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. last — finally
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. last — to go on
  24. wave — with your hand

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