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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spring — of water
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chair — a leader
  8. capital — money
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cue — a signal
  19. track — a path
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. track — a song
  22. bass — low music
  23. spring — the season
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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