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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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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. march — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — to wash
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a dance
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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