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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rest — a break
  8. cue — a hint
  9. tube — the underground
  10. can — to be able to
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — letters
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — magic
  19. can — a tin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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