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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 124 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spell — a short time
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pop — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cue — a hint
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spell — letters
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tube — a container
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cue — a signal
  18. shower — rain
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. spell — magic
  24. pop — soda

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