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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — to come down
  6. bass — low music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. land — ground
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. suit — in cards
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cue — for pool
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. land — a country
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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