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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. court — of law
  13. chest — of your body
  14. roll — a cake
  15. court — of a king
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rush — hurry
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chest — a box
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — for sport
  24. cue — for pool

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