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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. spell — magic
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tear — to rip
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cue — a hint
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spell — letters
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — a short time

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