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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spell — magic
  5. spring — of water
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stand — to bear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kid — child
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cue — a signal
  21. spring — the season
  22. game — a match
  23. spring — a coil
  24. game — a kind of play

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