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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — finally
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. deal — to handle
  13. last — final
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cue — for pool

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