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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cue — a signal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cue — for pool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. drill — army training
  13. rush — hurry
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spell — letters
  18. kick — in football
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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