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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. scale — size or range
  3. present — the time now
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cue — a signal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. squash — the sport
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. key — for a lock
  11. present — a gift
  12. hand — help
  13. scale — in music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tube — a container
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cue — for pool
  20. key — in music
  21. present — there
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. squash — to crush

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