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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ground — a position
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — the earth
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — rain
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rock — a stone
  19. net — after costs
  20. bank — of a river
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. net — in sport
  24. shower — to wash

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