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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — hurry
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pop — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — to handle
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cue — a signal
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pop — soda
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. deal — a big deal

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