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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cue — a signal
  3. roll — a list
  4. spell — magic
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. track — a path
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. track — a song
  11. capital — a city
  12. cue — a hint
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. track — to keep track
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. capital — money
  20. suit — in cards
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. suit — clothes
  23. spell — a short time
  24. suit — to fit

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