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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. scale — size or range
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. scale — in music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cue — a hint
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. clip — a video

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