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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fine — all right
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — the fish
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bass — low music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fine — high quality

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