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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — a coil
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bear — the animal
  7. firm — decided
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spring — the season
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. firm — a company
  14. cue — for pool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — of water
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. march — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bear — to put up with

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