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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. present — the time now
  7. cue — for pool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lean — thin
  10. cue — a hint
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — money
  14. present — there
  15. land — a country
  16. chest — of your body
  17. squash — the sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chest — a box
  21. capital — a city
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — music

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