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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cue — a signal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. shower — rain
  6. ball — a dance
  7. present — there
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — of a river
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. present — the time now
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. present — a gift
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bank — for money

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