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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 116 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bank — for money
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cue — for pool
  6. root — of a word
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bank — of a river
  11. root — of a plant
  12. swing — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. root — the cause
  17. kid — child
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. swing — to play on

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