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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cell — in biology

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