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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. shower — to wash
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cue — a hint
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chip — to eat
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — to pay attention

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