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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — help
  4. cue — a hint
  5. club — for golf
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — a tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. club — a group
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stock — shares
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. club — for dancing
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tear — to rip
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. tear — from crying
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cue — for pool

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