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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — a hint
  8. hand — in cards
  9. saw — the tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spell — magic
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spell — letters
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. saw — the tool

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