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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. track — a song
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. shower — to wash
  8. track — a path
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — to keep track
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. shower — rain
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cue — a hint
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. march — music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cue — for pool
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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