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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. spell — letters
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — for pool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cue — a hint
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. present — the time now
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cue — a signal
  15. march — the month
  16. present — a gift
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — music

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