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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. roll — a list
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a line
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cue — a hint
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. shower — rain
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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