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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. season — in sport
  3. hand — help
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. bore — to drill
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cue — a signal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rash — a series
  19. pop — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — in music
  22. pop — soda
  23. cue — for pool
  24. hide — animal skin

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