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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. sharp — clever
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. craft — a skill
  8. plane — a tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cue — a hint
  13. shower — rain
  14. craft — boats
  15. scale — size or range
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cue — for pool

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