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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. root — the cause
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — the sport
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. root — of a word
  8. cue — for pool
  9. march — music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cue — a hint
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the vegetable

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