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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. club — for golf
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. drill — army training
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. foot — a measure
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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