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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cue — a hint
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bulb — for light
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. can — a tin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bulb — for light

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