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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. land — a country
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. land — ground
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — to come down
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rush — hurry

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