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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — to sink
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a signal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mug — a face
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pop — soda
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spell — letters
  20. cue — a hint
  21. scale — in music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — a professorship

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