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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pop — soda
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kid — child
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — for pool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pop — to visit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. present — there
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. present — a gift
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. present — the time now
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cue — a hint

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