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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — finally
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rock — music
  17. game — a match
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cue — for pool

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