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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. present — there
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cue — for pool
  6. net — after costs
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — clever
  22. net — in sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. net — for catching

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