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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — of law
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — a hint
  17. court — of a king
  18. can — to be able to
  19. scale — in music
  20. court — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cue — for pool

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