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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. last — to go on
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — finally
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — final
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. land — to come down
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. land — a country

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