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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fall — the season
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rock — music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — a position

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