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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. last — final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pop — music
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — to wash
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pitch — completely
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cue — a signal
  20. shower — rain
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. last — finally
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fan — to cool the air

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