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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cue — a hint
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spell — letters
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spell — magic
  11. bass — the fish
  12. land — a country
  13. march — music
  14. land — ground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cue — a signal
  17. land — to come down
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — the fish
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. key — in music
  24. bass — low music

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