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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cap — a hat
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — of ice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cue — a hint
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. file — a line of people
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. file — a document
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cap — a lid
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — part of the body

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