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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cue — a hint
  3. shower — to wash
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cell — in biology
  7. shower — rain
  8. cue — a signal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — after costs
  12. rock — a stone
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. net — in sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — clever
  22. net — for catching
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cell — in a prison

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