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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cue — a signal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. key — the most important part
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pop — to visit
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pop — soda
  15. cue — for pool
  16. key — in music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. march — the month
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pop — music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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