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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cue — for pool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cue — a signal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bulb — for light
  13. land — ground
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — the fish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. land — to come down
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tear — to rip

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