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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bank — for money
  6. cue — for pool
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a match
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spell — letters
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. spell — a short time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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