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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — help
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. sharp — clever
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rash — a series
  21. wax — to grow
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wound — an injury

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