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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — a signal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cue — a hint
  8. last — to go on
  9. hand — help
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — final
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. degree — temperature
  19. last — finally
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cue — for pool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ball — a great time

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