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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rock — music
  4. tube — a container
  5. bound — certain
  6. spring — of water
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. shower — rain
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. hand — help
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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