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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. scale — in music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cell — in biology
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cell — a phone
  9. drill — army training
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. root — the cause
  16. rest — a break
  17. cue — for pool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — size or range
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cue — a signal

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