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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pop — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bay — a horse colour

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