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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. hand — help
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stand — to bear
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — a hint
  21. hand — in cards
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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