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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cue — a signal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cue — a hint
  11. court — of a king
  12. row — a line
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mug — a face
  15. rock — music
  16. file — a tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. cue — for pool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mug — to rob
  22. file — a document
  23. court — of law
  24. row — a quarrel

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