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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. land — to come down
  4. craft — boats
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. land — ground
  8. craft — a skill
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — a country
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — for a lock
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. key — in music

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