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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 116 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. last — to go on
  6. hand — in cards
  7. plane — a tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spring — the season
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cue — for pool
  13. suit — in cards
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. suit — to fit
  16. last — final
  17. chair — a leader
  18. last — finally
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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