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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. can — to be able to
  5. staff — employees
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ball — a great time
  9. race — a contest
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. race — the arms race
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — a phone
  17. race — humankind
  18. hand — help
  19. cell — in biology
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cell — in a prison

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