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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bat — the animal
  6. current — of water
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. perch — the fish
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for golf
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cue — for pool
  15. current — happening now
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cue — a hint
  20. current — electric
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bass — low music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — for a bird

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