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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cue — for pool
  3. court — for sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. clip — for paper
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — magic
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — of a king
  11. spell — letters
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spell — a short time
  17. clip — a video
  18. suit — in cards
  19. clip — to cut
  20. court — of law
  21. mug — to rob
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cue — a hint

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