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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 120 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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Word bank
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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — a series
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — money
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rash — hasty

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