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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cue — a hint
  6. shower — rain
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — the season
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cue — a signal
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. band — a music group
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. saw — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — of water
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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