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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — finally
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — a trace
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mark — a grade
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. season — in sport
  17. cue — for pool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mark — to pay attention

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