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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. hand — in cards
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cap — of ice
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — help
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cap — a hat
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tube — a container
  24. pop — music

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