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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. scale — in music
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — rain
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tube — a container
  12. scale — size or range
  13. staff — employees
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — to rip
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. staff — employees
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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