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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. cue — for pool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. row — a line
  10. roll — a list
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spell — letters
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mouse — for a computer

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