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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stand — to bear
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — to come down
  24. ground — a position

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