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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pop — music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a ring
  17. bass — the fish
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. land — to come down
  23. bass — low music
  24. pop — to visit

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