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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — a signal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. suit — clothes
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. suit — in cards
  8. last — final
  9. land — a country
  10. suit — to fit
  11. land — ground
  12. spell — magic
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cue — a hint
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — to come down
  17. last — to go on
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — letters

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