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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pop — to visit
  6. board — to get on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. board — a committee
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cue — for pool
  13. fall — the season
  14. pop — soda
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. cue — a hint
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — a tin
  20. wake — a trail
  21. can — a tin
  22. pop — music
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. board — a flat piece

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