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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. dip — to sink
  4. spell — letters
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — a short time
  12. row — to paddle
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. row — a line
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — to handle
  18. march — the month
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — magic
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. march — 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