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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rest — a break
  3. net — after costs
  4. cue — a hint
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. shower — rain
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. net — for catching
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hand — help
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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