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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. club — for golf
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cue — a signal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. race — humankind
  14. drill — a practice
  15. last — final
  16. pit — in a race
  17. drill — the tool
  18. last — finally
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. last — to go on
  21. cue — a hint
  22. race — a contest
  23. club — a group
  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