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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. present — the time now
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mug — to rob
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rash — a series
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mug — a cup
  21. present — there
  22. hand — help
  23. present — a gift
  24. cue — for pool

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