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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mug — a cup
  10. drill — army training
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mug — a face
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — to rob
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chest — a box
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. spell — magic

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