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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — decided
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. firm — a company
  6. game — a match
  7. firm — steady
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. march — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. march — the month
  21. cue — for pool
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — part of the body

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