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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — of water
  5. band — a music group
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — from crying
  9. current — electric
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. current — happening now
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cue — for pool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. can — to be able to
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pop — music

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