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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.

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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cue — a signal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — in sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chest — a box
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chest — of your body
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — after costs
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. net — for catching

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