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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cue — a hint
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chip — to eat
  22. drill — army training
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. tear — from crying

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