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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — of water
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pop — soda
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spring — the season
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pop — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — to confront
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hand — part of the body

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