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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. last — final
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cue — for pool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rock — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — to go on
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. last — finally

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