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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mug — a face
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. game — a match
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mug — to rob
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mate — to breed
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. shower — rain
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cabinet — ministers

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