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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — final
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. face — to confront
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. club — a group
  19. cue — for pool
  20. last — finally
  21. cue — a hint
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — a series
  24. fork — in a road

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