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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cue — for pool
  5. band — a ring
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cue — a hint
  13. firm — a company
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. firm — decided
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cue — a signal
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. band — a music group
  23. kick — in football
  24. firm — steady

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