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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mark — a trace
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — for pool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fan — a supporter

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