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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · track · cue · pop · hand · bay · rush · march

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. pop — soda
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rush — hurry
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a path
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wind — moving air
  16. march — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cue — a signal
  19. track — a song
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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