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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — obliged
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bound — tied together
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. file — a tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bound — certain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cue — a hint

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