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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. craft — boats
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. staff — a stick
  6. craft — a skill
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. staff — employees
  16. cue — a hint
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. race — the arms race
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. trunk — of a car

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