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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rock — a stone
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fall — the season
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a line
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cue — a signal

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