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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. bass — low music
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. spring — of water
  15. mate — to breed
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spring — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bulb — for light

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