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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cue — a signal
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — money
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pop — music
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cell — in biology

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