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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. can — a tin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hand — help
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pit — a hole
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — rain
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — a stick
  15. shower — to wash
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cue — for pool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. can — to be able to
  21. staff — employees
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rock — to move gently

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