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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — in sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rash — a series
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. season — of the year
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rash — hasty
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pop — soda
  24. bay — a horse colour

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