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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — a series
  4. shower — rain
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — for pool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — in music

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