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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cue — a hint
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. tear — to rip
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. track — a song
  16. cold — an illness
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — a signal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — from crying

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