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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cap — a lid
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — letters
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cap — a hat
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cap — of ice
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rush — hurry
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spell — magic
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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