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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. row — a line
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — for pool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. charge — in control
  9. root — the cause
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lean — thin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. charge — a price
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tear — from crying

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