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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mug — a face
  4. cue — a signal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — a song
  9. pop — to visit
  10. branch — a division
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pop — music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cue — for pool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitcher — a jug

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