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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bat — the animal
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cue — a signal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — of law
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. current — electric
  16. court — of a king
  17. current — happening now
  18. track — a path
  19. court — for sport
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cue — for pool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. current — of water
  24. sharp — clever

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