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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — of water
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cue — a signal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bat — the animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. current — electric
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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