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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. current — of water
  3. cue — for pool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. charge — a price
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — a practice
  8. clip — for paper
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. sharp — clever
  14. charge — in control
  15. pop — to visit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pop — soda
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. current — happening now
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pop — music
  23. current — electric
  24. drill — army training

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