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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lean — thin
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pound — a weight
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chest — a box
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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