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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — in sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a document
  11. rock — music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. net — for catching
  14. rest — a break
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — after costs
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rash — a series
  21. file — a tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rest — what's left
  24. file — a line of people

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